A Head-On Clash
Rumble...! A colossal beast, larger than most buildings, crashed heavily onto the ground with a resounding thud.
Screeech! Its entire body scorched by Red's fierce flames and relentlessly pierced by Snow's ice, the beast was reduced to a wretched state. It let out a spine-chilling shriek as it slowly dissolved into light.
"Phew... Haa... This beast was really tough too."
"Yeah. To think it was another mutant instead of a normal one... Tsk, I don't know why all the ones appearing lately are like this."
The two quietly watched the beast in front of them slowly turn to ash. The colossal body of the monster began to scatter into the air, carried by the wind.
Normally, with the beast's demise, it would be the perfect time to cancel their transformations and get ready to go home. But Snow and Red did not. Because—
"...It's you two again."
Through the thick smoke of the beast's disintegrating remains, a figure slowly stepped forward, one pace at a time. They saw a girl with long, silky white hair flowing down to her waist, wearing an oversized coat as if she had just thrown it on out of sheer laziness.
"Well? Have you changed your minds now?"
A captivating smile spread across the girl's lips. Irritated by her arrogant attitude, Red felt a surge of anger.
"As if we'd ever...!" she was about to snap, but she quickly suppressed her emotions and scowled.
"...I have a proposal."
"Hmm. A proposal all of a sudden?" The girl tilted her head slightly, then nodded as if to say she was willing to listen.
"Beat us. With raw strength. If you do, we'll quit being magical girls or whatever right this instant, just like you wanted."
"Se-Senior?!" Seeing the sheer seriousness on Red's face, Snow gasped. Is she planning to settle this once and for all right here?
"Hmm. I see." The girl tapped her lower lip with her index finger. She quietly stared at Red's murderous aura, tilted her head again, and then let out a small, bright smile.
"Lying is bad, Red. You don't actually have any intention of quitting."
Whoosh—
"What...?!" In an instant, the girl vanished from Red's sight.
Poke, poke.
"...!!" Just like during their first encounter, the girl had slipped right next to Red and was poking her cheek with her index finger.
"Your skin is so dry. Are you sleeping properly?"
"None of your business...!" Red, her face flushed with shock, hurriedly swung her magic wand.
Flame magic sliced through the empty air, but just like last time, it failed to graze even a single strand of the girl's hair.
Floating lightly through the air, the girl spun elegantly before landing some distance away. Red, wrapping her wand in blazing flames, shouted.
"I heard you've been going around making proposals to other magical girls lately!"
Along with her shout, Red slammed her magic wand hard against the ground. Boom! A massive wall of fire surged forward in a straight line along the earth.
But just before the flames could reach her, the girl leaped lightly into the air once more, easily evading the attack.
"Hmm, the rumors have spread already... That was faster than I thought."
Her voice was as nonchalant as ever. Standing in midair, the girl scratched her cheek with a bored expression, making Red scowl even deeper.
"Senior, move!" Along with Snow's shout, blue magic erupted from the tip of her sword.
Dozens of sharp ice icicles materialized in the air and rained down on the girl all at once.
Yet, even as the countless ice spears closed in right before her eyes, the girl didn't even blink. Just as she had always done, she simply dodged them with elegant, fluid movements in midair.
"It's useless."
Landing on the ground after effortlessly dodging both of their attacks, the girl muttered softly as if it were now her turn, and lightly snapped her fingers.
Snap! The moment the crisp sound echoed through the air—
"Ugh...?!"
"Ah, ugh...!"
Snow and Red shrieked simultaneously as they fell to their knees. A colossal pressure, heavy enough to crush their entire bodies, had suddenly poured down upon their shoulders.
This is impossible... Is the gap between us still this massive?
Red bit her lip hard, her hands trembling as she pressed them against the asphalt. She had trained relentlessly recently, pushing herself to the point of bleeding. She had sworn that this time, she would stand on equal footing and drag the truth out of her, yet she was still so utterly powerless.
But Red hadn't given up yet. She still had a trump card up her sleeve. Looking up at the girl, Red yelled fiercely.
"You've been making proposals to magical girls all this time. What on earth is your reason? Why are you doing this?!"
"...Do I have a reason to tell you?" The girl shrugged, shoving her hands into her coat pockets as if Red's question was merely a nuisance.
"There's no reason not to tell us either, is there?" Red retorted, refusing to back down.
"..."
"Let me ask you one thing. Has even a single person accepted that pathetic proposal of yours so far?"
It was a sharp, leading question from Red, who was absolutely certain that no one would have agreed.
"...Maybe one?" But the answer that came from the girl's mouth was entirely unexpected.
"Huh?"
Red's mind instantly went blank. Beside her, Snow also stared at the girl with a bewildered look.
Red was temporarily speechless, but she forced herself to maintain her poker face and let out a harsh chuckle. If she backed down here, she would completely lose control of the conversation. Pretending to be unfazed, she raised her voice and pressed the girl hard.
"Y-You've proposed to so many kids, and yet only one accepted?"
"Hmm, keep going."
"At this point, don't you think your method is completely flawed? How long do you plan to keep up this pathetic stunt that nobody agrees with?"
"Hmm."
In an instant, the immense pressure weighing down on the two of them vanished like a lie.
"That's an interesting point."
"..."
"So, what you're saying is, there's a better way to go about this?"
"O-Of course! Telling someone to quit being a magical girl out of the blue without giving any information is way too one-sided. Don't you think?"
"I suppose so." The girl nodded at Red's words.
"If you clearly explained your damn goal, your reasons, or even the benefits of quitting, wouldn't there at least be more magical girls who would actually consider it? That would be way more efficient!"
"Ah." Her eyes widened slightly as she gave a small nod. There wasn't a shred of pretense on the girl's face. She looked genuinely blank, as if she truly hadn't thought of that.
...She looks a bit airheaded. Is it just my imagination?
Red stared at the girl in disbelief before raising her voice once more.
"D-Don't try to play dumb! I won't fall for your acting, so now that you know it's more efficient, why don't you spit it out? What is the real reason you're going around meeting magical girls?!"
No matter how much the other party pretended to be a bit loose in the head, Red had only one goal.
"Hmm." At Red's fierce interrogation, the white-haired girl stared blankly for a moment before looking Red straight in the eye. Sparkle. Her transparent red eyes, looking as if rubies had been embedded in them, reflected Red's equally crimson hair.
"Heheh." A bright smile graced the lips of the girl, who seemed to have been contemplating. It was a smile full of interest, like a child who had just found a highly entertaining toy.
"Then, I'll tell you if you beat me."
"What...?" Red's brow furrowed deeply.
Sweeping her long white hair back, the girl smiled brightly and threw Red's own words back at her. "Didn't you say it earlier? 'Beat us with raw strength.'"
"...!!"
The girl pulled both hands completely out of her pockets and lightly dusted them off. "Thanks for telling me a more efficient way. But since things turned out like this, wouldn't it be fair to do as you said?"
In other words, she was telling them to completely make her submit. The girl beckoned with her finger in a provocative gesture.
"Ha, gladly." Red smirked fiercely, adjusting her grip on her wand.
She had already expected that once she faced this mysterious white-haired girl again, things wouldn't end with a peaceful conversation. Either way, a direct confrontation was inevitable. In fact, wasn't this girl, who used to slip away while talking in riddles, now offering a clear condition of a duel on her own accord? It was a welcome development to have such a definitive answer.
"Snow, you heard her, right? That airhead wants us to beat her."
"Yes!" Red's magical energy swelled explosively. Snow also concentrated her magic, taking a combat stance.
"If we force her to her knees, she says she'll spit out everything she knows. There's no reason to refuse!"
The girl merely stared at the fiercely swirling flames and frost with her usual bright smile, showing no intention of making the first move.
Ha. Is she looking down on us? If so, I'll land a satisfying blow right on that annoying face of hers.
"Here I go, Snow! Cover me!"
"Yes, Senior!" Along with Red's spirited shout, magic blending fire and ice shot mercilessly toward the white-haired girl.